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4 foods that boost immunity

A weak immune system can lead to a lot of health problems. Here are four easily available immunity boosting foods to help you stay healthy.

Garlic: Garlic adds a little zing to food and it’s a must-have for your health. Garlic helps to lower cholesterol and may prevent hardening of arteries. Garlic’s immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin.

Green tea: Polyphenols, potent plant antioxidants, are what’s believed to give green tea its immune-boosting effects. To maximize benefits and minimise bitterness, use just-below-boiling water and steep green tea no more than a minute or two. Don’t add milk to your green tea though, because the proteins will bind to the polyphenols, making them ineffective.

Cauliflower: Cauliflower and broccoli are cruciferous vegetables, which mean they’re not only rich in antioxidant vitamins that give an immune system boost, but they also contain choline, a nutrient essential to a healthy diet. Choline keeps your cells functioning properly and also helps support a healthy gastrointestinal barrier, keeping bacteria safely confined in the gut. Cauliflower is a good food to eat when you’re sick because it’s also rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight off infection.

Egg yolks: Eggs have gotten a bad reputation because their yolks are high in cholesterol. But the yolks are also a rich source of protein, which can help immune-related problems. Egg yolks also contain zinc and selenium, which are important minerals that help boost the immune system. If cholesterol is a problem in your healthy diet, make your scrambled eggs with two whites, but only one yolk.